Cloth string feed apparatus



June 12, 1945. w. SIMQNDS 2,378,333-

CLOTH STRING FEED APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. '9, 19 41 Patented June 12, 1945 Warren J. Simonds," Orange, Mass, assignor to I Rodney Hunt Machine Company, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Orange,

Original application October 9, 1941, saw No; 414,363. Divided and this application April 4.. c p 1942, Serial No.437,691

1 Claim. (Cl. 68-22) This invention relates tojan improvement in a real and roll arrangement for feeding a continuous cloth string through a textile processing machine suchas a slack washer. This application is a division ofmy co-pending application, Serial No. 414,363, f led October 9, .1941. v

Objects of the invention include: the provision of a reel and roll arrangement for feeding a continuous cloth string through a textile processing machine whereinthe rolls are so. arranged as to avoid inequalities in speedof the string, such inequalities bein common in the prior artdueto the bumping of bunches in thecloth string as theypass through the nip of the-rolls, the cloth string bunches tending totemporarily separate the rolls as theyare .bumpedby the bunches, this separation resulting in a momentary loss in engagement between the rolls and the string, so

that driving contact is. lost.

Further objects of the invention include the provison of a tub, vat, or the like for containing liquids used in textile processing, there being a reel arranged at one side of the tub and a pair of rolls spaced from the reel but parallel thereto,

these rolls being mounted one above the other vertically and in substantially contacting relation to provide a nip .therebetween for driving a cloth string therethrough, the upper roll being rotatable in a direction the same as the direction of the reel, and the lower r011 being rotatable in the opposite direction, whereby a cloth string may be led down into the tub from the reel and up towards the rolls; through the nip of the rolls in a direction away from the reel, up over the upper roll, and thence over the reel. This action is repeated for a, plurality of passes through the machine, whereby the rolls provide means for obtaining an S-shaped twist of the-cloth string about the rolls to an extent heretofore not obtainable in devices of the type described.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of a textile processingmaseries of substantially parallel partitions l4 extending rrom side to side of the tub, so as to divide the latter into a plurality of separate liquid holdin receptacles. Partitions It may be provided with apertures 18 for .intereommunication of the liquids in the separate receptacles, and as illustrated in 2 apertures [8 are located on a e ca ly descending scale from one end f th tub to the other so as to provide for cascading of h l qu ds throughput the mac ine. Drain pipes 21) "may be provided for each receptacle.

support 22 is mounted on the end walls of the tub and extends the length thereof to provide for mounting a vertically disposed cloth string guide or poo-eye for each receptacle, "as it is the intention in :this [case to let one-pass of a cloth string through each receptacle once. A reel 26 is mounted adjacent-one edge of the tub parallel thereto for thepurpose of leading cloth'string 28 thereover and down into the separate receptacles.

This reel may be of any desired construction and may be mounted by any convenient means so long as it is located in position to guide the cloth string down into the tub as shown in Fig. 2.

A-pair of squeeze rolls 30, 32 are mounted adjacent the front wall 10 of the'tub. The specific mounting anddriving means for these rolls form no part of the invention and these have therefore not been shown. It is pointed out, however, that roll 32 is mounted directly vertically above roll 30 in parallel relation thereto and so that the rolls will substantially contact each other to form a nip therebetween for squeezing and feeding the cloth string. Also the vertical plane containing the axes of rolls 30 and 32 will be seen to be located slightly to the right of the cloth guides 24 as seen in Fig. 2; i. e. the cloth guides 24 are located to the side of the roll axes in a direction away from reel 26.

As seen in Fig. 2, reel 26 and upper roll 32 are to be rotated in a clockwise direction so that the I cloth string 28 may be fed to the right over roll 32 and reel 26. The lower roll 30 is adapted to be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction so that the nip of the rolls provides a cloth string squeezing and feed means which directs the cloth string to the left as shown in the drawing, in a direction away from reel 26.

The clothstring is directed into the machine as shown in the arrows in Fig. 1 from a pointas at A, and initially the string is passed over roll 32 and over the reel 26 down into the first separate liquid receptacle 34. I The cloth string then passes through receptacle 34 in a direction at an angle with respect to the ends of the tub, then up to and through the first cloth guide 24 which is located directly above a portion of the initial receptacle 34. The string is then led slightly reversely in an upward direction towards the rolls and about the inner side or inward aspect of roll 30 and through the nip of the rolls so that approximately a 180 wrap of the string about roll 30 is achieved. The string then proceeds through the nip and up about the outward aspect of roll 32 and over the top of the same to be led back towards the reel 26 and thence down into the next adjacent liquid receiving receptacle 36.

This procedure is followed throughout the length of the machine as clearly shown in Fig. 1 and the cloth string finally emerges from the machine at point B, although the string might be joined at points A and B so as to provide for a continuous endless string for a plurality of passes through the machine.

It will be seen that the above described construction provides for a continuous soaking and alternate squeezing of the cloth string, and that the string passes in an S twist about the rolls 30 and 32 so that although a bunch in the cloth should momentarily tend to separate the rolls, there will still be substantially 360 wrap of the cloth string about the rolls whereby a good driving contact willbe maintained at all times even though atsome particular instant the nip of the rolls becomes momentarily separated. The wrap-around effect is enhanced as to the lower roll by the locationof guides 24 at the side of the roll axes opposite from the reel. It is pointed out that if the direction of rotation of the rolls should be reversed asis conventional in the prior art, the cloth string would have to pass up merely about the outside aspect of roll 30 and through the nip, thus losing the the wrap-around effect of roll 32, so that upon bumping of a cloth string the feeding efiect of the rolls would be momentarily lost, and this loss of feeding being cumulative during the period of run of the machine, the string is apt to become tangled and to pile up in the tub. For example, a yardage per minute of 25 or 50 is not critical, but the usual installations under modern practice in the handling of cotton goods are designed to continuously run 10,000 to 50,000 yards at 200 yards per minute, and hence a bump of or t" sometimes is disastrous because the loss of pull is cumulative, and in 25,000 to 50,000 yards this loss becomes great enough to require shutting down to realign the goods during the run. The present invention provides means for obviating this difliculty as hereinbefore explained.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claim, but what I claim is:

In an apparatus of the class described, a tub, a reel adjacent one side of the tub, two squeeze rolls parallel to the reel and located in horizontal spaced relation thereto adjacent another side of the tub, said rolls being arranged in superimposed close relation so that one is vertically above the other, the reel and upper roll being adapted to rotate in the same direction and the lower roll in the opposite direction, whereby a cloth string may be passed and re-passed between said rolls and over a substantial peripheral length of both rolls, and a cloth string guide located below the lower roll and offset horizontally from the roll axis in a direction opposite to the infeeding side of the lower roll, whereby the cloth string may be passed over substantially equal peripheral lengths of the rolls.

- WARREN J. SIMONDS. 

